Thames Bridge Traffic, 1986 to 2024
Annual motor traffic on every Thames road bridge from Hampton Court to Tower Bridge, combining TfL Thames Screenline counts with DfT AADF estimates.
The 2019 Hammersmith Bridge closure did not displace motor traffic onto neighbouring bridges. Traffic fell on Putney, Chiswick, Kew and Wandsworth over the same period.
Data last updated 1 June 2025 Sources: TfL Thames Screenline (FOI 4078 2425)TfL Thames Screenline (FOI 3707 2425)DfT Road Traffic Statistics (AADF)
Common questions
Did Hammersmith Bridge's 2019 closure displace traffic onto neighbouring bridges?
No. Both DfT AADF and the TfL Thames Screenline show traffic also fell on Putney, Chiswick, Kew and Wandsworth bridges over the same period. The closure did not push significant motor traffic onto neighbouring crossings.
What's the difference between the DfT Count and the TfL Count?
DfT is the Annual Average Daily Flow estimated for one count point on each bridge approach. TfL is a single-day manual count of vehicles crossing the bridge itself, done in even years. Values are not directly comparable; the screenline is typically 2 to 2.5 times the DfT AADF for the same bridge. See the TfL Count and DfT Count charts for each source on its own.
What does an "estimated" DfT year mean compared to a "counted" year?
DfT physically counts each count point every six years and statistically estimates the in-between years from related count points. Counted years are more reliable; the data preserves the estimation_method field on every point. Source: DfT Road Traffic Statistics (AADF).
Why does this chart exist?
Politicians have repeatedly claimed the Hammersmith closure displaced traffic onto neighbouring bridges. The official DfT and TfL data show the opposite. This is the evidence, source-linked.
Linked charts
Traffic on the 5 west-London bridges, indexed to 2018
Annual motor traffic on the five western Thames road bridges, Hammersmith, Putney, Chiswick, Kew, and Wandsworth, indexed so that 2018 = 100.
Thames Bridges
TfL Thames Screenline Counts
Actual traffic counts on every Thames road bridge, conducted by TfL every two years since 1986. Manual classified counts on weekdays in June or July, obtained via FOI.
Thames Bridges
DfT AADF Counts
DfT Annual Average Daily Flow for a count point on each Thames bridge approach, year by year from 2000.
Thames Bridges